Now all Airtel digital TV HD set top boxes are 3D ready!

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New Delhi, April 21, 2011: Airtel digital TV- the DTH service from Bharti Airtel has announced that it all its High Definition (HD) set top boxes are 3D ready. The initiative reinforces Airtel digital TV’s focus on innovation and technology as the cornerstone of its strategy of bringing in the best for its customers.

The process of enabling all HD set top boxes on Airtel digital TV’s network to process 3D signals is now complete, enabling both its existing and new HD customers to be able to view 3D content.

With LCDs expected to contribute over to 40% of TV sales this year and increasing in the next few years and the growing acceptance of HD in India, clearly show that the consumer ‘wants’ to be at par with globally evolving entertainment standards. 3D TV is firmly established as TV technology in Europe, the US and Far East Asia. The move to upgrade all HD customers will be yet another differentiator that will ensure Airtel digital TV customers are future ready.

Airtel HD STB also has the following features:
Mind-blowing HD picture clarity with the highest possible resolution of 1080x1920 (2.07million+ pixels with 5 times sharper picture than Standard Definition).
Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 surround sound for theatre like experience right in your living room.
Wide aspect ratio of 16:9, better suited for our eyes which have more horizontal than vertical span.
HDMI output to get the best HD signals to your HDTV.
MPEG-4 DVB-S2
Universal remote
Blockbuster movies, interactive services like i-Darshan, i-Goodlife, i-Learn, i-Astro and i-News and an array of thrilling and exciting games.
Multilingual EPG
Note: Only customers with 3D ready TVs and the necessary equipment will be able to view relevant content in 3D.

The direct-to-home (DTH) operators in India are making their high definition (HD) set-top boxes 3D ready, hoping to tap a new wave of premium customers.

Airtel digital TV, the direct-to-home (DTH) service from Bharti Airtel, today said it has completed the process to make all its HD STBs 3D ready. The company, which offers HD STB for Rs 3190 with a three- month subscription, will not charge extra for the 3D facility.

"We have completed backend support to enable 3D content on the HD STBs. Now all the existing and new subscribers of HD service will be able to view the 3D content on their 3D enabled TV with the help of stereoscopic glasses," Bharti Airtel CMO, Airtel Digital TV Sugato Banerji said.

However, none of the Indian broadcasters have any 3D content. Recently, Star India CEO Uday Shankar said flagship channel Star Plus is 3D ready and once the infrastructure is up, viewers will be able to sample it.

Other mainline broadcasters have not worked on 3D content as they feel the market is not prepared for it yet.

"Even if we don't have content yet, we are ready for the future," Banerji said. "We have learnt from the TV manufacturers that every month close to 500 3D ready TV sets get sold and 10-12,000 households have 3D TV sets."

Videocon d2h has already launched its 3D ready HD service. But as there is no content available, they have one active HD 3D channel on which subscribers can experience the 3D content, a senior executive said.